Cuba denounces ‘record’ economic damage from US embargo
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Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez says the country remains willing to continue engaging in dialogue despite the lack of will and progress on the part of the US.
PHOTO: REUTERS
HAVANA - The US embargo on Cuba incurred “record” losses of over US$8 billion (S$10 billion) on the communist island between March 2025 and February 2026, according to a government report presented on Sept 7.
Cuba has been under a US trade embargo since 1962, with President Donald Trump piling on pressure on top of the decades-old measure since early 2026.
The damages set out in the report exceed 2025’s peak by seven per cent, said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.
The figure “does not include the damage from the energy blockade” imposed by Washington in January “nor the damage from secondary sanctions” imposed on Cuban entities in May, the minister added.
“The blockade does not punish a government; it punishes the daily life of a people in all its aspects,” Rodriguez said.
Havana blames the crisis on an array of US-imposed punitive measures, while Washington attributes the hardship to poor internal management.
Living conditions on the island are severe, with residents enduring regular rolling blackouts and chronic food and fuel shortages on a daily basis.
Rodriguez pointed to an increase in infant mortality – from four per 1,000 births in 2018 to 9.9 in 2025 – as evidence of deteriorating standards.
He ruled out declaring a humanitarian crisis, however, and praised what he called Cuban solidarity in the face of difficulty.
The minister said Cuban authorities remain in contact with the US State Department but ruled out any normalisation of ties.
Cuba remains willing to continue engaging in dialogue “despite the lack of progress” and “lack of willingness” on the part of the US, he said. AFP
